Fulfilling the oath "Bringing you back to our beloved motherland"

Lighting the flame of gratitude, the Collection Team of the Military Command of Ha Tinh province did not hesitate to face difficulties and hardships, determined to search for and repatriate as many martyrs as possible who sacrificed in Laos, keeping the oath "Bringing you back to our beloved motherland".

Carrying on their shoulders a heavy mission, a noble and sacred responsibility, over the past 4 years, Major Nguyen Van Son, Major Hoang Van Hong, Captain Nguyen Huu Thanh, Captain Le Van Thang... have silently overcome all hardships and dangers to search for and gather the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Laos and return them to Vietnam.

Soldiers braved the sun, crossed rivers, climbed passes, and waded through streams to search for martyrs' remains in Laos.

The footprints of these soldiers and their comrades were imprinted all over the villages, fields, hills, rivers and streams of Bolikhamxay province and the capital Vientiane of Laos. The sweat, effort, and even blood of the soldiers who had gathered were shed in the hope of finding and bringing the martyrs back to their homeland.

Major Nguyen Van Son - one of the most senior members of the Gathering Team, shared: “Each time we go out to war, it is a battle with many hardships, difficulties, shortages, dangers and pressures on all sides. However, with the heart, love and responsibility of those who are carrying out a sacred mission, we never waver in spirit and are determined not to retreat before anything. If there is information or signs of martyrs' graves, whether in streams, river banks, steep slopes, on hilltops or under bamboo bushes, dense tree roots, or even minefields left over from the war..., we are determined to find them.”

Instant noodles eaten in the middle of the forest during the gathering journey.

Lieutenant Colonel Pham Huu Tien - Political Commissar of the Collection Team shared: "The war has ended, but there are still thousands of martyrs' remains who died in Laos whose graves have not been found. Thousands of relatives are waiting day and night for them to return. Meanwhile, the search journey is facing many difficulties because the quantity and accuracy of information about martyrs' graves is decreasing, the graves are scattered in remote and dangerous areas; the remains do not have grave maps, the discovery and guidance mainly rely on the people of the neighboring country, but those who know the correct information are no longer there due to old age, memory loss or death... However, determining this as a sacred task, deeply demonstrating the good morals of the nation, all generations of cadres and soldiers in the team have never been discouraged in the face of any difficulties or circumstances."

The Ha Tinh Provincial Military Command's Collection Team carefully dug and meticulously searched for every trace anywhere.

Implementing the direction of the National Steering Committee 515, the Military Region 4 Command and the support of Laos, over the past 24 years, the Collection Team - Ha Tinh Provincial Military Command has always diligently carried out its noble mission and responsibility. With backpacks on their shoulders, hats on their heads, digging tools in their hands, the collection soldiers defied harsh weather, epidemics, makeshift accommodation, lack of clean water... through forests, wading streams, crossing rivers to positions where Vietnamese soldiers had participated in combat to collect information, search, and recover martyrs who heroically sacrificed for the noble international duty.

With the tireless efforts of the soldiers, from 1999 to now, 810 remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Bolikhamxay province and Vientiane capital have been searched for and brought back to the motherland. In the 2022 - 2023 dry season alone, the unit has searched for 10 sets of remains. The Collection Team is urgently preparing to set off for the 2023 - 2024 dry season with the determination to find more martyrs.

Each hoe stroke, each edge of land of the gathered soldiers is full of hardship and toil but full of love and responsibility.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Khac Dong - Team Leader of the Collection Team said: "Because we have to operate independently in a friendly country for a long time, before the operation, we have fully prepared vehicles, medicines, and equipment. The search participants are all soldiers with strong political will, good moral qualities, responsibility, good health, know how to create collective strength, are willing to share hardships, and are conscious of cultivating Vietnam - Laos solidarity. During the mission, we also actively help our Lao compatriots with medical examination and treatment, free medicine, gifts, harvest crops, clean villages, repair houses, open roads for people..."

Tien Dung - Duong Hoang

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/chinh-sach-xa-hoi/tron-loi-the-dua-cac-anh-ve-dat-me-than-yeu/251823.htm